The crow's sharp voice rang loudly beside Chiba Yang's ear.
He picked up his Nichirin Blade and rose from the steps.
So the first mission has finally arrived.
Demons… just wait. I will wipe every one of you from this world.
Following the direction given by the crow, Chiba Yang began running toward the southwest. Along the way, he passed a courtyard and unexpectedly saw Sanemi Shinazugawa again.
Sanemi Shinazugawa was sitting quietly on the steps, holding a piece of rice cake and feeding it to a small dog in front of him. A gentle smile rested on his scar-covered face.
However, the smile quickly faded, replaced by a trace of worry. The little dog finished the rice cake and barked happily, wagging its tail.
Sanemi Shinazugawa patted the dog's head before turning and walking back into the house.
So you were right after all, Genya.
Sanemi Shinazugawa really is a gentle person.
Witnessing the scene strengthened Chiba Yang's belief in his earlier guess. Still, he had a mission to complete, so he did not linger and continued running southwest.
Night soon fell.
The stars glittered faintly across the sky while the moonlight shrouded the land in a hazy glow.
Guided by the crow, Chiba Yang arrived at the location it had indicated. He now stood in a forest just outside a small town.
If I want to track down the demon, it might be best to ask the locals.
The crow could only indicate a general area. The precise location had to be investigated by the Demon Slayer Corps member assigned to the mission.
Chiba Yang was about to head into the town when a distant voice reached his ears.
"Xiao Ying… Xiao Ying…"
The voice was calling out someone's name.
It sounded hoarse and exhausted, yet it continued without stopping.
Curious—and sensing it might be related to a demon—Chiba Yang moved toward the sound.
"Xiao Ying… Xiao Ying…"
As he approached, the fatigue in the voice became clearer. Beneath it lay a deep sense of urgency and worry.
Soon, Chiba Yang found the source.
A boy around sixteen years old stood there. His clothes were worn and dusty, his face haggard, and his eyes bloodshot as if he had not rested for a long time.
The moment the boy saw Chiba Yang, he rushed toward him.
"Have you seen my sister?" he asked anxiously.
"She's about ten years old. She wears a cherry blossom hairpin and is about this tall."
The boy gestured with his hand, his gaze full of desperate hope.
"No, I haven't," Chiba Yang replied, shaking his head.
Then he asked gently, "What happened?"
The light in the boy's eyes dimmed instantly.
"My sister disappeared," he said hoarsely.
"Three evenings ago, she came here with her friends to play a ghost-hunting game. None of them returned."
"I came here that same night to search for her, but both she and her friends were gone."
"The families of the missing children reported it to the police. The police searched here during the day for two days."
"They only found some bloodstains."
"They concluded that wild animals must have eaten the children and stopped investigating."
His voice trembled as he spoke, his body shaking.
"But I've lived here for over ten years," the boy continued. "I've never seen any wild animals in this forest."
"Xiao Ying must still be alive."
"I will find her."
With those words, the boy staggered forward again, continuing his search.
His legs trembled badly—clearly the result of walking endlessly without rest.
This must be the work of a demon…
Chiba Yang felt a pang of sympathy.
If the girl had been missing for three days, the chances of her still being alive were extremely small.
Suddenly, the boy stumbled.
His body tilted forward as he lost his balance.
Chiba Yang quickly stepped forward and caught him before he could fall.
The boy's body was frighteningly weak. It was impossible to imagine how long he had been wandering through the forest like this.
"Are you alright?" Chiba Yang asked.
"I'm fine…" the boy muttered, immediately trying to continue walking.
"I'll help you search," Chiba Yang said.
Even though he suspected the girl had already met a tragic fate, he still wanted to help. Moreover, if a demon truly was responsible, staying with the boy might lead him directly to it.
Seeing the sincerity in Chiba Yang's eyes, the boy hesitated before nodding.
Together, the two of them began searching through the forest.
Although it was nighttime, the moonlight made the path faintly visible.
"This is where the police found the blood," the boy said, pointing at the ground.
"Other than these bloodstains, there's nothing else. If it were truly wild animals, there should be other traces left behind."
They searched the forest for a while but found nothing.
Eventually, Chiba Yang suggested examining the location where the police had discovered the blood.
After observing carefully, he confirmed what the boy had said.
There were only bloodstains.
However, the stains were scattered. One appeared every dozen meters or so, and some had splattered onto nearby tree trunks.
"Xiao Ying was very timid," the boy murmured.
"She only dared to come out because her friends were with her."
"That evening, I was busy repairing a customer's shoes, so I just casually agreed when she asked to go."
"If I had known… I would have stopped her."
Tears streamed from his eyes as he spoke.
Deep down, he understood the truth.
The blood here could not have appeared from nowhere.
Yet he refused to accept it.
As long as he had not seen his sister's body with his own eyes, he still believed there was hope.
"Life was finally starting to get better," he whispered bitterly.
"Why did something like this have to happen…"
Chiba Yang felt his chest tighten.
He understood the boy's pain all too well. Once, he had felt the same crushing guilt, the same despair and confusion.
Fortunately, he had met Kyojuro Rengoku and found a purpose in joining the Demon Slayer Corps.
Should I tell him about demons?
Perhaps he would even join the Corps someday.
The thought crossed Chiba Yang's mind.
But there was still no definitive proof that a demon was responsible. Even if he explained everything now, the boy likely would not believe him.
This was not the right moment.
So Chiba Yang said nothing and continued studying the bloodstains carefully, hoping to uncover some clue.
Suddenly—
A strange sound echoed through the forest.
It resembled the sizzling of hot iron burning flesh.
Chiba Yang snapped his head toward the source.
A large tree nearby had developed a hole in its trunk, as if something had corroded it.
Worse still, the hole was rapidly expanding.
The boy noticed it as well.
For some unknown reason, he stood there frozen in place, staring at the tree in stunned silence.